The One That Got Away
by Noa-Pearl
Summary: Catherine returns to the Las Vegas Crime Lab and runs into an all too familiar detective. Slight spoilers for the CSI series finale, nothing big though :) . - Just a little story to give Catherine and Lou an ending as well.
1. The One That Got Away Part 1

_**Note:** So, this story will barely have any spoilers for the CSI finale, but there will be some tiny hints, so beware. That being said, what did you guys think of the finale? I have to admit that besides Catherine, Grissom and Lady Heather returning, I wasn't too excited about the storyline. Nevertheless, I think the time was right (perhaps it should've ended a while ago) and I think CSI has left a huge legacy out there as a world famous and television-changing show. That being said, let's get back to the story. So. I really hoped/wished Vartann would show in the finale and we would get some hints about the relationship between him and Catherine. We all knew he wasn't gonna be there though, but now after seeing the finale I decided to write my own Catherine/Vartann ending. Sort of. Because, well, I think they should have a decent one. Duh ;-) . This story will probably be two or three parts, still deciding about that, nothing too long. Wanted to give you guys a little warming up with this first part, next will be up soon. _  
_**Spoilers:** CSI Series Finale_  
 _ **Rating:** T_  
 _ **Summary:** Catherine returns to the Las Vegas crime lab to help with a case, causing her to run into an all to familiar detective as well._

 **The One That Got Away / Part 1**

The brown liquid warmed her body the moment she took her first sip. She also noticed the darn coffee still tasted the same as it had done years ago. Not too great, but well, it would suffice. As it always had.

The moment Catherine had jumped out of the airplane that had brought her to Las Vegas, a certain kind of warmth had filled her body. Of course, the reason why she'd returned was far from ideal. Being back however instantly made her feel as if she was home. Back where she'd spent undoubtly the most important years of her life. Becoming a CSI, getting married, raising her daughter, getting divorced.… She loved the place.

"You didn't even bother to call, hmm.."

She dropped her mug; she'd recognized the voice talking to her instantly and it had startled her. She could hear a small chuckle. "No need to get all scared, didn't mean to startle you."

"Fuck." She murmered, although she was positive he could hear her swearing. She took a breath. Catherine had known in the back of her head that seeing him would be possible, but she'd pushed those thoughts out of her head and had tried not to think about the man. Wrong move. The toughest part about moving away from Vegas had been moving away from Lindsey. Moving away from Louis Vartann had been a close second though. Catherine hadn't been prepared to love someone again as much as she had loved Lou. She had just been to darn scared though. Scared to get hurt, to be dissapointed…

When she turned around she stared into the green eyes of Louis Vartann, who was currently holding a wet yellow cloth out for her to grab. "Here."

"Thanks." Catherine figured swiping the floor would give her a few more seconds to figure out what to do. Gosh, she should've thought about running into him and how to act. What to say, what to do… This was way too surprising and she was way too unprepared to face him. He obviously wasn't planning on giving her that time though.

"Rumour said you returned, both you and Grissom, actually..."

Catherine stood up, throwing the yellow cloth in the sink before facing Louis again. He looked good. Great, actually, in his suit. He was so handsome. Catherine could feel her body responding to his presence. Not only her body though; her heart as well. Seeing him in front of her made her realise how much she'd missed him. If she would act on her instincts, she really just wanted to grab him, let him hold her and tell him to not ever let her go again. But, well, that kind of was out of the question.

She bit her lip. "Hey. Yeah.. I eh.. Well, you know…. It felt right, to get back and help."

Lou nodded. "Figures."

There was a weird sort of tension between them as they were standing in the break room. Both seemed to be joyful about seeing the other, excited to share more words and talk to each other. But there was too much unfinished business holding them back. Blue eyes were staring into green eyes, both not quite sure what to say and how to act. What was the appropriate way of greeting the person you loved but hadn't seen in years, and, quite frankly, hadn't even talked to in years?

Catherine couldn't handle it. Being so close to the man she thought she had gotten over in the past few years made her realise all she had done was bury the amount of love she felt for the man somewhere deep inside her so it wouldn't hurt to be without him. She had never gotten over him. Not even a little bit.

The buzz of Louis' phone interupted their staring contest and he answered, giving Catherine more time to think of what to say. Her head seemed to be filled with nothing though; nothing sensible came to her mind.

"Catherine." The way he said her name made her shiver. "I have to go, work. When... When do you head back to California?"

She shook her head. "I eh.. I'm thinking about staying here, actually." Catherine thought she could see some sort of spark hitting his eyes as she uttered those words, but perhaps it was just her hope of that happening.

"Okay. Well.. We could grab some drinks later today, after seven? I think we have a lot to talk about."

A small smile formed around Catherines' lips. "Yeah, yeah, we should."

* * *

Louis Vartann wasn't sure if having drinks with Catherine was the most brilliant thing to do. Was it a smart idea to have drinks with the woman that had crushed his heart into billions of little pieces? Pieces that still hadn't formed their way back together? He had loved her so much that her leaving Vegas had felt as if a knife had cut right through his heart; the pain had been unbearable. Was it really a good idea to warm up to her again? He knew she had probably never meant to hurt him. He was quite sure of that. Her return was already making him go nuts and he'd only just seen her for a few minutes. Darn Catherine Willows.


	2. The One That Got Away Part 2

_Note: Thanks sweet all for the review/messages, I appreciate them so much. So, this chapter's a lot of dialogue... I hope you like it, the final part will be up soon as well :) ._

 **The One That Got Away / Part 2**

"Started the party without me, huh?"

Louis smiled when he heard Catherine's voice behind him. Yes, he'd already ordered a drink before she'd arrived. He turned around as he said: "Well, since you were late, I figured I'd entertain myself."

"Ha, late, 5 minutes, tops. Traffic was a distaster. I don't know why I figured it was a good idea to take my car down the strip from my hotel all the way to here." She sat down in the seat in front of hem, trying to catch a waiter's attention. Catherine was looking perfect. Louis was almost positive she'd put on a skirt because she knew how much he loved looking at her legs, but perhaps he was just hoping that was the reason.

After ordering her drink, Catherine looked at the man in front of her and smiled slightly. "So… I'm sorry for not letting you know I was coming. I just… I had a lot on my mind, it all went so fast.. And I wasn't even sure you wanted me to give you a head's up…"

Lou was surprised she'd cut to the chase immediately. Then again, she'd never been the subtle type. "I guess I can't blame you for that… I guess I had just been hoping that, you know, I would be important enough for you to at least hear something about you getting here. I mean, I honestly didn't really expect to see you again. I was so surprised when I found out you were in Vegas."

Catherine smiled sadly. "You have to believe me that in any other situation I would've always thought about letting you know I would be in town… I would, honestly, despite it being difficult to talk to you again after so long.. I.. I would've called you. Really."

Their eyes locked and Louis could tell she was genuine. Not that he had doubted her words. But her eyes told him everything, and she was definitely being truthful. Instinctively he reached for her hand, placing his over hers as he sighed. "Cath… Where did we go wrong?"

Catherine bit her lip. His emerald eyes were staring right into hers and his words made her feel a huge sting of pain all through her body. Where had they gone wrong? God, the man hadn't done anything wrong. Well, barely anything. It had been her. She had been stubborn. Not willing to take any risks because she was afraid of getting hurt. He shouldn't have pushed her, but she should've realized it had been all because of love. Taking a job with the FBI hadn't only been liberating because it was a well-needed change of surroundings. It ha also been perfect because she knew being with Louis wouldn't stand a chance with her so far away. No need to make difficult decisions, no need to admit to herself that she was in love again… It had all made perfect sense when she'd left.

Truth was that she'd missed Lou from day one. She'd regretted leaving him the moment she'd arrived in LA. Without him, her life had felt incomplete. She had been too much of a coward to admit it to him. She'd wanted to keep her face up. Her attitude, the way she'd told him how she had been perfectly fine with their casual relationship… It had all been such a facade. Catherine wished she'd realized that sooner.

"Oh Lou… We're both so stubborn…"

He chuckled. "We definitely are."

"Lou…" Catherine brushed his hand off of hers, not sure what to do. Was she going to admit she'd made a mistake? Was there still time to make things all okay? "This is hard."

He nodded. He understood. Things were hard. He wasn't exactly sure what Catherine's intentions were either. Did she just want to apology, start with a clean sleeve so there wouldn't be anything awkward if she'd return to the lab in Vegas? Or did she still have feelings for him?

He ordered them another round of drinks, realizing he had finished his drink way too quickly.

Lou sighed. "Catherine… The way you left was so upsetting to me… It made us seem… Nothing. I felt like I meant absolutely nothing to you."

She bit her lip. "I know… I don't.. I don't know why I have this, this tendency to push away the people I love the most." The words had left her mouth before she knew it. Love. She'd never actually told him she loved him. Not once.

Lou blinked. Love? "Love?"

Catherine shrugged. "Yeah…"

"You never told me you loved me…" Lou searched for her eyes, but she kept staring right down to her drink.

"I know," she murmured, knowing she was about the pour her heart out. "I don't know why I keep on building walls around me when there's someone willing to spend his life with me. That's what I did when I was with you… I was so afraid of getting hurt that I figured it would be easier to just… Pretend. Pretend I was yearning for freedom and time alone… When in fact, all I really wanted was just.. You. You and me, together. You… You meant everything. "

Lou looked her in the eyes, finally able to get a hold of the blue pair that he'd always adored so much. "Cath…"

Catherine figured she'd blown it. Of course Lou wasn't going to let her fall into his arms and tell her everything would be fine. What had she been expecting? Maybe he had started seeing another woman, maybe he had lost interest in her.

She suddenly stood up, afraid for Lou to speak out words she didn't want to hear and said: "I'm sorry, for everything. You didn't deserve it. I.. I really didn't deserve you."

She took off, leaving a confused Lou behind in the bar. He gulped his drink. He didn't want him and Catherine to leave each other like this, without having some sort of ending. Or new beginning….

When he reached the parking lot, Catherine was no where in sight. He cursed under his breath. He wasn't sure if she was staying in a hotel, or if she'd still had her old appartment in town. He figured he'd take a gamble, and grabbed the first taxi in his sight.


	3. The One That Got Away Part 3

**The One That Got Away / Part 3**

She'd been driving for way too long before finally heading to the street she was supposed to be. Driving had always given her some sort of comfort; it had always been a way to take her mind off of things. It wasn't working tonight though.

Catherine was surprised to see a shadow sitting on her porch. She arched her eyebrow, wondering who'd be sitting there at this hour of the day. When she parked her car on her driveway though she realized it was Lou; her heart skipped a beat and her palms immediately got sweaty. What was he doing there?

The moment Catherine stepped out of the car, Lou spoke up. "Hey stranger…"

Catherine smiled. "Hey. How did you know I still lived here?"

He shrugged. "I didn't. I just hoped you did." He patted on the space on the patio next to him, telling her to sit down next to him, which she did.

"So… Why did you run away?"

Catherine bit her lip, not exactly sure how to reply to that and looked away. A small bolt of electricity ran through her when Lou gently pushed her face back so she didn't have a choice but to look him in the eyes.

"Why do you keep on running, Catherine? You pour your heart out to me about building walls and keeping them up high.. When are you going to realize that I want to be with you? That I want you to let them all down… I don't think I'll ever be able to love someone as much as I love you. I don't want you to be the one that got away from me… I don't want to look back at my life knowing the woman I loved was always so close to me."

"You… You love me, still?"

Lou smiled. "I can't help it."

A smile broke through on Catherine's face and, even in the dark, Lou could tell there was some sort of sparkle shining through her eyes. "We've lost a lot of time, didn't we.."

Lou shrugged. "Maybe it's time to let the past in the past, Cath… There's so much time left for us."

"You're right… You want to come in?"

Lou nodded. "Yeah.." Catherine was about to get up when he pulled her back. "Just wait a minute…" He pulled her closer to him before he said: "Cath.. If you're serious about staying here… Well, even if you're not staying in Vegas… I want you. I want us."

Catherine's heart filled with joy. She was finally realizing that perhaps what Lou and she wanted was the exact same; each other.

She smiled as she threw her hands around his neck, carefully moving closer. She was slowly approaching him on purpose, enjoying every single second of the moment. Catherine moved her face closer to his and said: "I've missed you so much, Lou."

"I've missed you too, beautiful," he murmured.

After hearing his words, Catherine gently placed her lips on his, enjoying his soft, warm lips while they were touching hers. The gentle kiss quickly turned more heated, more passionated, as their mouths opened and their tongues started dueling. Catherine felt Lou's hands on her back, pushing her closer to him. He broke their kiss and moved his mouth to her neck, causing Catherine to moan. God, she loved it when he kissed her there.

"Lou… Ah, God." His hands traced the hemline of her shirt, eager to caress the skin underneath it. When he pulled her shirt out of her skirt his fingers touched her skin, causing shivers all over her body. "Lou… Inside."

Catherine stood up in a swift motion and grabbed Lou's hand. She pulled him with her as she reached for her keys somewhere in her purse.

The moment the couple walked into Catherine's house, the puzzled pieces of their feelings fell in place. Things felt right. Perfectly right.

When the door slammed close, Lou immediately pushed Catherine against the wall, hungry for Catherine's mouth as he pinned her hands above her head with one hand and kissed her. His other hand roamed over body, making sure he did't miss a spot. He'd missed her so much.

* * *

Catherine woke up that morning with butterflies in het stomach. She reached for Lou with her eyes still closed, but her hand could only feel the cool fabric of her linen sheets. She opened her eyes and found the place next to her to be empty. Her heart dropped a little; had Lou left without telling her?

She put on one of her silk robes before walking down the stairs, hoping Lou was down there.

A relieved smile formed on her face when she walked into the kitchen. She found Lou there, dressed in his t-shirt and jeans, humming to a song on the radio while making breakfast. God, she adored that man.

"Hey you.. I thought you were gone."

Lou turned aroud and bit his lip when he saw Catherine in front of him in an emerald green robe, that reached mid-thigh. She looked so gorgeous, with her tousled hair and big blue eyes.

"Don't be silly. I'll never leave your side without telling you. Never."

Catherine smiled and walked over to him. He hugged her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist as he nuzzled her hair and kissed it. "Good morning, babe."

"Good morning... Making eggs?"

"No," he murmured in her hair, "pancakes actually."

He let go of her warm body to flip one of the pancakes and Catherine smiled. After doing so he looked back to her, smiling as well.

"Lou… I'm so happy you're here."

"Me too, honey." He pulled her closer to him as he looked into her eyes. "I'll never let you go, Cath. Never." He kissed her lips, sealing his promise with a soft, sweet kiss.

Catherine knew they wouldn't be a perfect couple right away; of course there were still some issues that needed to be resolved. She was sure though things would be fine. She loved him, he loved her. Things would surely work out eventually. She was sure of that.

"I love you, Lou."

He caressed her cheek and smiled. "I love you too."

 **The end.**

 _Note: So, nothing to special, just a little bit of love and joy which I think Catherine & Lou deserved :) Hope you enjoyed it x._


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